BRANDON - More than two years after Tropical Storm Irene forced the relocation of the town offices to the fire station, residents were told Monday night that town government has been asked to vacate the temporary offices by the end of the year.

But there was a double dose of bad news when Select Board Chairman Devon Fuller announced that The McKernon Group had withdrawn its bid to reconstruct the town offices. The company had recalculated the cost and determined it was far above the insurance settlement of $160,000.

The board instructed Town Manager Robin Bennett to find new accommodations for town government as soon as possible, preferably before the next scheduled meeting on Nov. 13.